Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to enzymatically degradable compositions including at least one synthetic biocompatible polymer having reactive electrophilic groups which are capable of reacting with a combination of glycosaminoglycans having different degrees of acetylation, and use thereof as precursors in forming biocompatible polymers and/or degradable hydrogels.
Background of Related Art
The use of medical gels such as hydrogels can be advantageous due to the physicochemical properties of the hydrogels. Hydrogels typically have excellent compatibility with human and animal tissue. Physically cross-linked hydrogels can withstand attack by body fluids, blood, urine and other bodily secretions without significant damage. Many hydrogels may be non-adherent to tissue, lack an affinity for binding to proteins and fail to allow for cell adsorption. Hydrogels may also be non-thrombogenic. These characteristics make some hydrogels suitable for use in surgical procedures, e.g., for prevention of adhesions after surgery. The ability of some hydrogels to act as bulking agents has been utilized in connection with treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and sterilization of mammals. Hydrogels may also be used to create a matrix in the treatment of damaged cartilage.
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), a hydrophilic polymer that exhibits acceptable toxicity, and immunogenicity has found great utility in biotechnology, specifically, in forming hydrogels. PEG is generally considered to be biocompatible and is not immunogenic, which is to say that PEG is generally capable of coexistence with living tissues and does not tend to produce an immune response in the body. However, conventional hydrogels and other medical implants based on PEG and other synthetic biocompatible polymers may be susceptible to in-vivo degradation, generally induced by hydrolysis of specific linkages of the polymer chains (e.g., ester linkages). Thus, such degradation profiles may be considered passive, since degradation primarily occurs due to the presence of water. It would be desirable to provide a hydrogel formed from PEG derivatives or other synthetic biocompatible polymers that may be suitable for in-vivo enzymatic degradation.